The 2017 Raritan River Festival and Rubber Duck Race will be held Sunday, Sept. 24, in waterfront Boyd Park in New Brunswick from noon until 5:30 p.m.

In its 38th year, the Raritan River Festival combines environmental advocacy, live music, arts and culture and fundraising for a family-friendly outdoor event that is unique to New Brunswick.

The first Raritan River Festival was held in 1980 as part of the 300th Anniversary Celebration of the City of New Brunswick. Hundreds of people crowded the banks of the Raritan River to watch parades of decorated boats, raft races and canoe races.

In his welcome letter, original festival Chairman M.J. “Mac” Babcock wrote: “Historically the development of Central New Jersey was based largely on the utilization of the Raritan River to transport people and goods. Most of this commerce was centered around the head of navigation at New Brunswick.”

According to information posted on their website, http://thecityofnewbrunswick.org/rrf/, the festival was awarded “Living Legend” status by the United States Library of Congress and continues to strive to combine community entertainment and celebration with environmental awareness and action.

The Raritan River Festival’s Cardboard Canoe Races combine creativity and engineering with friendly competition, as registered participants build and race canoes in the Raritan River.

One of the festival’s main highlights is the Beez Foundation’s annual Rubber Duck Race in which 5,000 rubber ducks are hoisted into the air in a jumbo duck egg and dropped into the river. Ducks can be “adopted” via the Beez Foundation website in advance, as well as in Duckland during the festival. To adopt a duck, visit the Beez Foundation website at www.beezfoundation.org.

The Beez Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization that raises money and public awareness to cure brain cancer through research, education and related support activities for pediatric cancer treatment.

The 2017 festival will also feature a roster of acoustic performers, live bands, dance companies, jazz, children’s music, and free movement classes and demonstrations in hoop dance, drumming, Bollywood-style dance and Zumba. There are even two presentations by Rutgers Master Gardeners on pests in the garden and fall planting in the Green Scene Tent.

The amphitheater space has ample seating, and picnic tables will be near the acoustic area for seating, but attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on to enjoy being riverside all afternoon. Admission is free and open to all, check their website for directions and parking instructions.

Songs of the Harvest

A concert featuring traditional harvest songs performed by balladeer Linda Russell will help mark the turning of the seasons at the New Jersey State Park Service’s Old Dutch Parsonage-Wallace House historic site in Somerville, Somerset County, on Saturday, Sept. 30.

“From the time of earliest settlement, American colonists celebrated fall’s bounty with feasts, balls, horse races and hunts,” said New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry Director Mark Texel.

“We are pleased to join the Wallace House-Old Dutch Parsonage Association in extending an invitation to the public to enjoy balladeer Linda Russell as she performs songs that celebrate the Garden State’s harvest heritage.”

The Old Dutch Parsonage and Wallace House are administered by the New Jersey State Park Service, with the support of the Old Dutch Parsonage-Wallace House Association. The houses are listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.

The Old Dutch Parsonage was constructed in 1751 by the congregations of three local Dutch Reform churches. The house was first occupied by the Rev. John Frelinghuysen and his family, until his death in 1754. His successor, the Rev. Jacob Hardenbergh, was the principal founder and first president of Queens College in New Brunswick, now Rutgers University.

The Wallace House, built in 1776, served as George Washington’s winter headquarters during his army’s Middlebrook encampment of 1778-1779. Washington hosted foreign dignitaries and planned strategies for the spring military campaign. The house is fully restored and furnished with period furniture.

The concert will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will be at the Old Dutch Parsonage, adjacent to the interpretive center at 71 Somerset St. A $10 per-person donation is suggested. Advance registration is recommended by calling 908-725-1015 or by emailing whouse3@verizon.net. Register early as seating is limited.